[Xiao Yu cosplay] Non-Human Spring Gathering Photoshoot Insights

During the process of shooting this Non-Human Spring Gathering group set, simply arranging the positions across the rockery and stone bridge took quite a bit of time. With an eight-person lineup and the rather slippery rockery surface, the photographer had to repeatedly adjust the lighting and camera positions over several rounds to cater to everyone's expressions and props. Photo one was taken on the rockery; the staggered positioning gives the composition rich dimensional depth, making it a perfect fit for the cover.

This time I cosplayed Xiao Yu. The costume has rich layers, and the support structure for the rabbit ears along with the drape of the skirt seams were adjusted multiple times to achieve that natural flowing drape. To capture Xiao Yu's signature persona—graceful yet tinged with a hint of tsundere—I kept my posing subtle and restrained, focusing primarily on communicating emotion through my gaze and hand gestures. When holding the round silk fan, I also had to keep the gauzy sleeves from fluttering haphazardly; the control over props during the shoot was quite demanding.

My partners were all fantastic as well. The friends doing Xiaotian cosplay and Jiuyue cosplay captured incredible dynamic spirit while running across the stone bridge; the wigs and conical bamboo hats of Nezha cosplay and Red Boy looked striking against the lush foliage; and when Bai Ze and Jingwei stood by the edge of the rockery against the background vines, a slight color grade in post brought out that distinct flavor unique to Chinese anime. Photo three, where we lined up along the stone railing, caught the dappled afternoon sunlight filtering through the leaves beautifully; we intentionally arranged a combination of standing and sitting postures to avoid a monotonous straight line.

The post-production layout referenced traditional accordion-fold album formats. The diagonal collage in photo four works wonderfully as a preview image, allowing everyone's individual details to be seen clearly. Although preparing for a large group photoshoot is always exhausting, seeing the finalized images makes every bit of effort worthwhile. Being able to bring the Non-Human Spring Gathering theme to life in an authentic classical garden setting was thanks not only to the costumes, but even more so to the synergy and cooperation of every single person on the team.